


Primrose's Thieving Ways

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Cat, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Human AU, Socks, Stealing, Underwear, cursing, mild or insinuated smut, strange meeting - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-05-29 04:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6359335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bog is having problems with an underwear stealing cat</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Missing Boxers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoldWerewolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldWerewolf/gifts).



It was early morning and Bog was standing outside in a pair of jeans (and nothing else) hanging up his laundry to dry in the spring sunshine. Bog was not a handsome man, a little too thin, extremely tall and all angular features. His only redeeming physical quality—at least how he saw it—was his eyes. They were blue. Big deal, he often thought, blue eyes did not make up for the rest of his shortcomings, but he did pride himself on the fact that he could do a lot of things men his age usually still had not perfected. Like laundry. 

Hanging it out to dry was an old habit he had acquired from his mother. He had a dryer, but he only used it during the winter or when he had to let his laundry go for more than a few days. Today was his day off from work. He ran a florist shop which was also perhaps unusual for someone who looked like him, but he enjoyed growing and arranging flowers. Flowers never hurt you unless you were an idiot. 

Since today was his day off from the shop, Bog had decided to do a load of his laundry and was now in the back yard hanging up his clothing, clothes pin sticking out of his mouth. 

He hummed to himself, an old Twisted Sister song, as he worked, enjoying the early morning spring sunshine, the light smell on the air from his flower garden planted along the back of the house. He had just finished a row of socks and was starting on the next row with his boxers when he saw that damn cat sitting on the fence staring at him. 

“Shoo!” Bog made a motion with one large hand, holding clothes pins to the side of his mouth, but the cat just sat there. He knew for a fact it was the cat that had been stealing his laundry. He had been missing socks and some boxers, first before winter, and then in the last few weeks when he started to put his clothing on the line again. He had only caught the cat once in the act, going over his fence with a sock. But by the time Bog had gotten out of the yard, heading in the direction the cat had escaped, the damn feline was nowhere to be seen. He had told his mother it was a cat that was stealing his stuff, but she had only laughed. 

Bog had thought about setting a trap, but figured losing a few pieces of clothing was not worth the crap he would get for trapping a cat, thief or not. 

“Stop staring, ya little shit...” Bog muttered, his accent becoming slightly thicker with his annoyance, but the cat, a bright-eyed Siamese, just stared back at him. “I know what yer waitin fer, ya little thief. Go bother someone else.” The cat simply stared, not the least bit affected by Bog's huffing and puffing. 

Finishing up with his laundry, Bog picked up his basket and walked back inside shooting a glare at the cat as he did so. He hurriedly put the basket in the laundry room and dashed back to the kitchen window that looked out onto his back yard. The cat hadn't moved. Bog muttered. “Fucking thing knows I'm watching him.” 

Bog sighed. A watched cat apparently doesn't steal, so he decided to go make himself a cup of coffee and some eggs. 

After about a hour he had completely forgotten about the cat, his feet were up on his coffee table, plate of eggs balanced on his thighs the novel he was reading held in one hand as he sipped his coffee from the huge mug his mother had given to him one birthday that had Flower the skunk on it from Bambi. He was completely relaxed, eating breakfast and reading his book, the damn cat forgotten. After an hour and a half Bog put his plate and coffee cup in the dishwasher, grabbed his laundry basket and headed out back to check the clothing when he gasped loudly and then cursed. 

Two pairs of boxers and five socks were missing. 

Bog snarled. That was the most the little shit had ever taken! If he didn't know better, he would think that cat had done it just to spite him! 

* 

The next day Bog arrived home a little later than usual. He had been helping with the arrangements for a wedding. The bride had kept changing her mind up until the last minute. Bog usually didn't like working on weddings for a variety of reasons, one of them being that he despised anything to do with love. But he did the occasional wedding because his skills were in demand and they paid rather well. 

With a sigh, he parked his car, an old beat-up car, the metal making a harsh rusted sound as he shut it and walked down the to mail box. He pulled everything out without checking, since the streetlights were starting to pop on and it was becoming too dark to see. He shoved all the mail under his arm and headed for the door. He had forgotten to turn the porch light on, so he stumbled with the key a little before he finally got the door open. 

Once inside he let out a sigh he had been keeping pent up since the bride and her groom had shown up to discuss the flowers...again... 

He tossed his mail onto the one chair in his living-room, a cushioned monstrosity in orange and pink his mother had found at a yard sale. He had never sat in it and if gods were willing, he never would. The damn thing was hideous! 

He stalked into the kitchen after kicking off his shoes to get something to drink. When he walked back out, a glass of juice in his hand, his eyes were directed to the mail that had slid partway onto the floor. There hanging on its side, if he wasn't mistaken, was a picture of the damn cat! The thief! The picture looked to be part of a flyer. 

Bog squatted down to scoop up the flyer. A bright colored picture showed the cat sitting among socks, boxers and other articles of his underwear with a note. “Are you Missing Underwear? My sister and I have discovered that our cat has stolen a large amount of socks and underwear from a neighbor. If it is yours, we are very sorry. We have them here if you would like them back. Please call or text Marianne at 555-825-6944.” 

Bog stared at the flyer, his face slowly heating up. My sister and I? Two young women had all his missing socks and underwear? Shit, Bog thought to himself, should I text them? How embarrassing! 

He flopped down on his couch suddenly so nervous and embarrassed that his heart hammered. Which would be worse, ignoring it and let the cat keep taking his drawers, forcing him to fork out more money every month for new socks and underwear, or simply go pick up his stuff. Bog closed his eyes wishing for the hundredth time he hadn't given up drinking. 

* 

On the other side of the neighborhood, Marianne had just pulled another pair of boxers out from under the couch. She turned and glared at her sister's cat. The Siamese, named Primrose, simply cleaned her tail looking innocent and ignoring her. “Dawn! Your cat is back and she had some boxers again!” 

Dawn giggled from the other room. “Just put them in the bag with the others!” 

Marianne grabbed the boxers, glaring at the cat. “You better just hope these are clean or I swear...!” She stomped off to add them to the decent size bag of socks and numerous pairs of underwear the cat had brought home. Dawn never seemed the least bit upset by her cat's side gig as a thief, but Marianne was embarrassed for whoever was looking for their socks and underwear because of the little menace. 

They were fairly confident the garments all had to be from the same guy because the underwear was all the same size; pretty small, the guy had some seriously dainty hips. Of course hip size did not equal penis size, but Marianne had no idea why she would even care or why that thought had even occurred to her. Though speculating about the guy the boxers and briefs belonged to had become part of her afternoon daydreams. Which was stupid. 

Tossing the newly acquired boxers over onto the bag, Marianne walked into the kitchen pulling open the door to the fridge to see if anything edible had appeared while she was in the other room when her cellphone buzzed. She pulled it out of the back pocket of her jeans to look at the screen. Okay, no one she knew, she was about to ignore it, when she remembered the flyer that Dawn made and went around to put in the neighborhood mailboxes searching for the owner of the underwear. 

She ran her thumb over the screen; it was a text. Bringing up the text Marianne read. 

“I might be the one your cat has been stealing from.” 

She texted back. “Might be?” 

“There is a cat that hangs out in my back yard” 

Marianne frowned, but then the text continued. 

“I keep having missing clothing after the cat has been in the yard. It's a Siamese.” 

Marianne chuckled. Yup, this was the guy who was looking for his underpants. 

“Do you want to come to identify the stolen goods?” 

She stared at her phone waiting for a response. This one took a bit longer until finally she got a return text. 

“I guess I should.” 

Marianne giggled. 

Her fingers flew over the phone. 

“So when would you like to come see if this is your underwear.” 

She snickered. This guy clearly was embarrassed. 

“Tomorrow night after 6pm?” 

Marianne chuckled. 

“Sure, I will be here. Just ask for Marianne.” 

“Thanks, just text your address. The name is Bog.” 

Bog, she thought, weird name...must be a nickname. 

“Alright Bog 6pm, here is the address. 139 Chenoweth Dr.” 

Missing underwear man texted back. 

“You are only a block over from my house. See you tomorrow.” 

Marianne laughed. Poor guy, being stolen from by a cat. Dawn would be out tomorrow night with Sunny so that would bring the level of embarrassment down a few notches for the poor guy because Dawn would have insisted on him coming in for dinner to pay him back before telling him tons of stories about Primrose and her other thieving adventures before moving here. 

Yeah, he was lucky he was only going to be dealing with her.


	2. Underwear Retrieval

Bog pulled up in front of the small house. It was nothing fancy, the mailbox at the curb had Summerfield written across it in a bright Easter shade of pink. Bog lifted a brow. Well, that is...pink, he thought as he reluctantly got out of the car. He took a deep, steadying breath before he walked up the driveway and to the front door to knock. 

Marianne had heard the car pull up and had sneaked a peak out the window. When the guy unfolded himself from the car, she gasped. Wow, was he tall!! And thin!! She dropped down lower, peeking through the curtain as he got out of the car and made his way up the drive. His features were interesting; long sharp nose, a slight red tint to his hair that the sun brought out, but otherwise his hair looked pretty dark. He wore jeans and a button down shirt, not tucked him. She liked the way the shirt hugged his chest and tapered down his waist. Oh, crap. He's at the door, she realized. 

She dropped the curtain and hurried to the door waiting for him to knock or ring the bell. 

Bog stared at the door rubbing his thumbs over his forefingers as he contemplated if there was anything more embarrassing than collecting your underwear from a strange woman with a thieving cat. He raised his hand to knock, his knuckles poised over the door when suddenly it opened. 

Marianne hadn't meant to open the door, but she has been so ready for the skinny giant outside to knock that she jumped the gun. 

“Oh, ah, hello.” Marianne flushed. “You the guy here about the underwear?” 

Bog turned every shade of red there was in the spectrum of human abilities, even his ears turned red. “Yeah.” 

Marianne looked up at him and that was when she really saw the blue eyes. They were like a clear spring, fresh and light. She blinked in surprise seeing such a vivid color in such a sharp face. As for Bog, he was struck dumb. She was tiny, with short wild hair and those eyes. Her eyes were the type of warm brown that made a man want to wrap himself up in them. 

They both stood there staring at each other. 

“Want to come in to identity the underwear?” No sooner than the sentence was out of her mouth than Marianne burst out laughing. Bog looked mortified, but then he started to laugh too. 

Marianne reached out to grab his hand and pull him inside. 

“Sorry about my sister's cat. Primrose has been a little shit since Dawn got her. My name is Marianne. Can I get you something to drink?” 

“Name is Bog and water is fine, thank you.” Bog could feel himself getting more and more nervous. He hated how nervous he got! Around some people he hide it with bluster and anger, while some people—such as with her—he couldn't seem to do anything but mumble and look like a gigantic dork. 

Bog took a deep breath and looked around as the young woman went into the kitchen. 

The living room was clean and nicely decorated, though the color scheme was yellow and white, a little too bright for his taste. Granted, he didn't know Marianne, he had only just met her, but she did not seem like the type of woman to favor lemon yellow. 

“My sister is a decorator by profession so I let her do whatever she wants,” Marianne explained as she stepped back into the living room, probably reading Bog's expression. “Not my choice of colors, but you know how it is...” She shrugged as she handed Bog a glass of ice water and motioned for him to have a seat. 

He sat down on the couch, feeling again like a giant ugly stick bug. “I suppose....I live alone.” 

Marianne smiled. Oh, what a beautiful smile, he thought. “May I ask what you do—Bog you said?” 

He nodded. “My full name is Bogart, but I usually go by Bog. Not a lot better, I know.” 

Marianne smiled again. “I don't know, it suits you and it's distinctive. Like your eyes.” As soon as the words popped out of her mouth Marianne looked shocked. Bog chuckled and blushed, looking down at his glass of water. “Thank you.” 

Swallowing nervously, Marianne set her own glass of water down on a side table. “Let me go get the underwear and socks.” 

Bog again looked horrified, though Marianne didn't notice as she hurried off. 

While Bog waited, he glanced over at the living room's front window to see the cat Primrose staring at him. Bog narrowed his eyes at her, but the cat only started licking one of her front paws staring at him with light blue eyes. 

Bog muttered. “What are you looking at?” 

He would swear up and down that the cat smiled at him! followed by a “Meow.” 

Bog was about to say something else, but Marianne returned carrying a large trash bag. “Here ya go.” 

Bog's eyes bugged for a moment. “I didn't think I had lost that much,” he said in disbelief. 

Marianne set the bag down with an oof! “Well, wanna look through it to see if it's all yours?” 

Bog stared at the bag; the thought of going through it in front of Marianne was embarrassing. “Nah, that's fine. Maybe I did lose more than I thought.” 

For a moment, neither of them knew what to do next. Marianne was about to say something when her cell phone went off. “Can you give me a minute?” She grabbed her phone off the kitchen counter and turned her back to him. 

Bog frowned, wondering why she wanted him to stay? Primrose meowed at him again. “What?” 

The cat gave him a bored look, but he would swear the cat looked from him to Marianne. Bog turned around to look at her back. It was clear by the set of her shoulders and the way her whispered hissing was getting louder and more agitated that whoever she was talking to made her quite angry. Frowning, Bog stood up wondering if he should leave or not when Marianne suddenly shouted at the phone. “ROLAND!! Shut up!! I am not getting back together with you! I have moved on!! I have a boyfriend!! Well...his name is Bog! Yeah, it's a real name and yes, he is real! He is here right now!! You don't believe me? What the fuck, Roland? You think you're the only guy out there?? Well he is here right now! Yes, he is!” 

Marianne turned around, her expression the kind you saw on someone about to commit a murder. At least that was what Bog thought that expression would look like on someone and she handed him the phone. 

Her brown eyes glared at him, her free hand in a fist, but Bog reached out to take the phone staring at her. He slowly held it up to his ear. “Hello?” 

There was a guy on the other end who, as soon as he opened his mouth, Bog already wanted to slug him. “So you're Bog? What the hell kind of name is that? So you're Marianne's boyfriend now? 

Well, let me tell you, you have no idea what you walked into! She is super high maintenance, she doesn't even act like a normal woman! She is...” But before the guy could go further, Bog snarled, 

“Look, you asshole. Marianne is a beautiful woman who deserves better than some shit head jerk who can't appreciate her. She is mine now, so just piss off you fuck-face loser!” 

He glared down at the phone and hit the end call button with a slam of his finger. 

Bog turned at the sound of Marianne's giggling. When he looked at her, she was trying hard not to laugh. “Oh my god, that was awesome!” 

Bog blushed. “Well, ah...he sounded like a real ass.” 

Marianne came over to take the phone from him just as it started to ring again. She frowned seeing it was Roland and put it on ignore. 

“Yeah, my ex-boyfriend. Well, actually my ex-fiance, though I hate to admit I almost married him.” Marianne flopped down on the couch. Bog walked over and sat down beside her. “So now he thinks you have a boyfriend. Think he will leave you alone now?” 

Chuckling, Marianne dropped her head back against the couch. “Oh, I doubt it. He hates to lose. Plus, he was hoping by marrying me he would get access to the family fortune.” 

Bog lifted a skeptical eyebrow looking around the house. Marianne laughed at him. “Contrary to our living arrangements, my family is worth a lot of money. Daddy is the head of his own corporation. My sister and I weren't really interested in the business, but that doesn't mean we didn't benefit. Just neither of us are interested in living like spoiled brats.” 

Bog grunted. “That is admirable.” 

Marianne frowned. “I don't know why I am even telling you this.” 

“You have my underwear hostage.” Bog chuckled. 

“Ah, you will reveal nothing or the underwear gets it!” Marianne snort-giggled. 

They both laughed. “Really though, thanks Bog. I appreciate you telling Roland that you were my boyfriend.” She smiled. 

Bog's heart did funny flip. “No problem.” 

* 

It was two days later and the end of the week. Bog had thought about calling Marianne but couldn't think of a good reason and felt a little weird. Really, why would she want to hear from him, he wasn't really her boyfriend. 

That evening he arrived home, flowers filling the back seat of his car. He had brought a few home in order to make a flower arrangement for his mother. It was just something he did sometimes just to make her happy. As he carried the flowers in, he thought about what kind of flowers would Marianne would like, but there sitting on his front stoop was Primrose. Bog stood there for a moment staring at the cat. “What do you want?” 

“Meow.” 

Bog moved the cat gently with his foot and leaned over to unlock the door while holding the flowers. He pushed the door open and Primrose ran inside. Bog cursed the cat. His arms were full, preventing him from catching the let the cat go unless he wanted to drop everything. “Little shit!” Bog closed the door, taking the flowers into the kitchen and setting them on the cabinet. He dropped his keys into a bowl by the door on the way into his home. He wanted to go look for the cat, but he needed to get the flowers taken care of so he could work with them this weekend for his mother. 

Cursing the whole time, Bog arranged the flowers to his satisfaction and then started looking for Primrose. “Alright, you bloody thief! Where did you get to?!” 

Bog started looking under the furniture, finally making his way to his bedroom where he found the cat laying on the bag that contained his stolen underwear and socks. The cat had curled up where some of the items were visible through the top of the bag and was fast asleep. Bog snarled, but he didn't have the heart to kick the cat out. It was getting late, probably too late to call Marianne. Besides, he thought wryly, it is Friday—she's probably out on a date. But then again, what if she got home and realized the cat was missing? Shouldn't he call and let her know Primrose was over here again? 

* 

Marianne had her socked feet resting on the coffee table, the biggest bowl she owned holding as much popcorn as she could put into it resting on her lap as she watched “The Conjuring” with the lights out by herself. Dawn was out with her boyfriend Sunny. They had asked her to go with them, but she didn't feel like being the third wheel. However, she was regretting her choice of movie; not the best choice to be watching by herself in the dark. She thought about calling Bog to ask him if he wanted to come over, but, well, he probably had a date and it might be weird for the girl he just met—who had his underwear—to call him and invite him to watch a movie with her at her house. Yeah, that would not have been weird. Hey, fake boyfriend wanna have a fake date? 

She had just started to relax when the movie decided to get scary again and her cell phone went off. She jerked so badly she sent some of the popcorn flying. She hits the button without looking. 

“Yeah?” 

“Buttercup.” 

“Oh my god, Roland. What do you want?” Marianne rolled her eyes. 

“Well I just thought I would see how you and your “boyfriend” were doing.” She could hear the sneer in his voice. 

Muttering to herself, the motherfucker. “We're fine just watching a movie. Why do you care Roland?” 

“Oh, no reason. I thought the two of you might like to stop by. I'm having a party and thought you might want to introduce him to some of our friends.” She could just see the smile on that cheating bastard's face! He didn't think Bog was real! And he was using their friends! Not all their friends had stayed friends after their break-up so Marianne was not inclined to prove anything to 

Roland. “Look. Bog and I are not interested in a party.” 

Roland laughed. “Come on, Marianne. Look, I know you're just trying to make me jealous. And it worked, seriously, but Bog? Really? Couldn't you have come up with a better name for a made-up boyfriend? I bet that guy who you gave the phone to the other day was the mailman or a repairmen or something, am I right?” 

Marianne thought briefly of the cartoons where the fist comes through the phone, the image of her fist hitting Roland's smug face. 

“Fine, you know what? We will be over.” She slammed her finger on the off button, glaring at the phone and then dropped against the couch. Damn temper. 

That was about the time she heard a noise which made her jump before she realized it was Primrose coming through the cat door. She frowned. “Stupid cat.” 

But then she saw that Primrose had something in her mouth, a pair of underwear. The smile that spread across Marianne's face was very cat-like. “I take back anything bad I have ever said to you Prim.” 

* 

Bog had eaten dinner, showered and was just going to throw on some lounge pants when he noticed the cat was gone. He looked around in confusion before he realized he had left the window open...wait...he jogged to the window and groaned. That damn cat had ripped a hole in his screen! He was wondering if Marianne's sister would notice if Primrose disappeared when his cell phone rang. 

Grumbling under his breath Bog, snatched it up from his bedside table to see it was from Marianne. Why he had programmed her into his phone he could never say, but her name along with a picture of purple roses popped up on his screen. When he saw the call was from her he nearly dropped his phone in shock. He finally got a grip on it, took a few quick deep breaths so he didn't sound stupid and hit the button. “Hello?” 

Shit, he sounded pissed, but if Marianne noticed she said nothing. “Hey, Bog? Ah, hi. Ummm...yeah Primrose just showed up here and I think she brought a pair of your underwear with her.” Bog's blue eyes darted over to the bag with his stolen underclothes. The cat had been sleeping right on top of it...he couldn't be sure, but yeah, looked like the blue pair was gone. That little shit! But he couldn't be too angry—Marianne had called. 

“Oh, well, ah...I could come over tomorrow and pick them up.” Bog stuttered, but then Marianne said quickly. “Ah, hey, why don't you come over now? Uh...I thought if you don't mind continuing to be my fake boyfriend, um...Roland called wanting us to come to his party and I thought maybe after we make him look stupid we could like...really go out?” Marianne thought if she died right then it might help her sound less like an idiot. 

Bog's voice came out a bit high suddenly, but he quickly got it under control. “Ah, yeah sure. Be there in ten?” 

“Sounds great!” Marianne hung up. Bog stared at his phone and then quickly went to his closet. 

* 

Marianne grinned at Primrose. “You are a life saver.” 

Primrose smugly cleaned her paws, meowed and then carried Bog's underwear off somewhere in the house. 

* 

Marianne quickly brushed and styled her hair, putting on make-up and throwing everything in the closet out onto her bed while blaring Within Temptation's cover “The Power of Love” so loudly that Primrose had given her a dirty look and gone to find a quieter part of the house. When Marianne was done, she stood in front of her full-length mirror. She wore a short dark plum colored skirt that made her legs look as if they went on forever. The top fit her like a glove, showing off her curves. The top also made her breasts look round and perky, which she hope made up for the fact they were on the small side. She wore a pair of purple high tops with stripped black and purple socks that came up to her knees. She looked fucking adorable, she thought as she moved around to make sure her butt looked good. She didn't think about why she wanted to look adorable too closely when she grinned at herself. Bog King was going to love the way she looked. That was when the doorbell rang. 

* 

Bog stood outside the door to Marianne's house, nervous and jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof. He wasn't really sure what he was doing here, being her fake boyfriend? Yet here he was, standing at her door. He was so fucking stupid. But hadn't she said they should go on a real date too? Now he wasn't sure. It was very confusing. He should just take his underwear and go home. 

Now that was a sentence he never thought he would say, even if it was in his head. 

Marianne hurried to the front of the house and pulled the door open only to stop and stare. Bog was wearing a pair of jeans that rode just right on his thin hips, like...very right. Her eyes moved over him. He had a nice button-down shirt on; she could see a hint of chest hair where it wasn't buttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled up on his arms. He had shaved, but it already looked like his whiskers were winning the fight to come back. 

“Hey!” he nervously and wiped his hands down the front of his jeans. 

“Hey...” Marianne was thrown. She knew he was interesting looking, but good-looking? Damn!! 

“You ready?” Bog smiled and Marianne had to fight the urge to throw herself at him and yell, “Take me, I'm yours.” 

“Yeah sure, let's go.” 

* 

They pulled up to the party and boy, was it a party! There were cars all up and down the street and even from a few blocks away they could hear the music playing. Bog made a face. “Wonder how long until the cops show up?” 

Marianne snorted. “Longer than you would think. Roland's Dad is a big time lawyer.” 

Bog made a disgusted face. “Lovely. What does Roland do?” 

“Goes to law school and rides his Dad's coat-tails.” 

“Nice,” Bog muttered. Great, ex-fiance came from money. Here he was a florist playing her new boyfriend. Perfect. 

* 

He finally found a place to park and the two of them, holding hands, walked up the drive. Marianne saw several people she knew who waved at her. A few actually came over so that Marianne could introduce Bog. Bog smiled and nodded, keeping a hold on her hand. Everyone seemed nice enough, but Bog still felt like a newly discovered specimen on display. 

Marianne could feel how nervous he was, which shocked her a little. He looked like a tall, gruff man, but this many people clearly made him uncomfortable. Yet here he was putting himself through this for her, a woman he barely knew. Marianne squeezed his hand. Bog glanced down at her and she gave him a smile. He returned her smile with just a touch of shyness. 

As they walked in, the music was deafening. Right now Roland was playing at full blast “Radioactive,” which Marianne used to think was a good song until this moment. Amazing how a single person could ruin something so easily. 

The inside of the house was crawling with so many people they found it difficult to move. There were people drinking, eating, dancing or making out on every available surface and alcohol flowed like water. The music pumped so loudly that the windows vibrated. Bog was immediately even more uncomfortable—if that were possible—and by the way Marianne was squeezing his hand, she was too. Tugging a little on his hand to get him to lean down Marianne whisper-shouted in his ear. “Once we find Roland and hang for a couple of minutes, you want to go do something fun?” 

Bog smiled at her and whisper-shouted against her ear in reply, “Sure thing.” Marianne gave him a stunning smile when suddenly, as if coming together right in front of them, was Roland, sparkly smile and stupid hair. 

“So this is Bog? Is it? Weird name. I am Roland Knight, Marianne's fiance.” He stuck his hand out to Bog, which the taller man took with a sneer on his sharp face. “EX-fiance. Marianne is going out with me now after dumping you.” 

Roland's lip curled ever so slightly in disgust and he made a show of wiping his hand on his shirt after shaking Bog's hand. He turned his smile on Marianne. “You are looking....well, Marianne.” 

His eyes roamed up and down over her once. Marianne resisted the urge to smack him on the side of his head. “I am doing well.” She gave him a smile that promised death to anyone that disagreed with her. 

“So...” Roland looked between them. “Mind if I steal your girl for a moment, Bog?” 

Roland reached for Marianne, but Bog slammed the flat of his hand against Roland's chest causing the man to stumble back a few steps. 

“I don't think so.” 

Roland looked disgusted. “Afraid I will win her back?” 

“I'm sure Marianne doesn't want to go anywhere with you.” The way that Bog glared and towered over Roland, Marianne thought that he was pretty scary, especially for a florist. 

“How do you know? Maybe she wants some alone time with me? Get away from an ugly cockroach like you?” Roland sneered. 

Bog started to say something, but Marianne moved between the two men. “Look, Roland. I don't want to go anywhere with you alone. I am here with my boyfriend and he is the only guy I am interested in being alone with. I only showed up so you would leave me alone about whether or not Bog was real.” She then turned to Bog. “Come on, let's get out of here.” 

Roland sneered. “Hey, Bog. How much she paying you to pose as her boyfriend?” 

Bog stiffened, but Marianne reached up taking his face in her hands pulling him down to her. “Hey, look at me. I promise Bog, he isn't worth it.” 

Bog took a deep breath through his nose. “You're right.” 

Just as they were about to leave though, there were lights and sirens. Marianne and Bog both groaned at the same time saying in unison. 

“Well, that's just fucking perfect.”


	3. Skateboards adn Eggs

It was nearly four in the morning by the time Bog pulled up in front of Marianne's house. They ended up being taken to jail only because someone at the party had had drugs on them and there were a couple of underage drinkers at the party. It turned into a whole lot of waiting around. Roland, of course, got off without taking any blame for anything. Marianne and Bog were finally released after sitting in smelly cells with smelly people all evening. 

“Want to come in for a cup of coffee?” Marianne asked before getting out of the car. 

Bog looked a little uncertain, but shrugged. “Sure.” He didn't have work tomorrow and the day was pretty much shot anyhow. Bog got out, stretching. He put his hands on his lower back with a groan and popped his back. Then he jerked his neck to the side popping it. 

Marianne stood there on the other side of the car and stared. Why on earth was that sexy? There was something about the way his body arched, the sleeves of his shirt riding up a little, the way his hair was messed up from his constantly running his fingers through it.. Damn. Marianne shook her head. “Come on, my sister is probably asleep so we'll need to be quiet.” 

Bog grunted in response. 

Once inside Marianne took Bog into the kitchen. She tossed her purse onto the counter and started to look for the coffee. “Can I help ye?” Bog stepped up beside her. 

“Sure the filters are in that cabinet,” Marianne replied and pointed to the left. Bog found the filters, Marianne pulled out the coffee and together they started it brewing. 

“Cream, sugar?” Marianne pulled down a couple of coffee cups. 

“Black is fine.” Bog smiled. 

Marianne gave him a wink. “Dark and bitter like the man?” 

Bog blushed. “I ain't bitter...much.” 

Marianne grinned. “Yeah, you seem like a sunshiny sorta guy.” 

Bog snorted. 

After the coffee was brewed. Marianne poured his cup for him handing it carefully over and then made her own cup. She motioned for him to follow her and they went to sit on the couch in the living room. 

Kicking her shoes off and curling her legs under her Marianne sipped her coffee. “So Bog...” 

He chuckled. “Yes?” 

“Florist huh? “ She sipped her coffee. 

Bog frowned. “I don't remember telling you what I did..” 

She grinned. “The internet is a terrible tool in the wrong hands.” 

“Ah.” Bog chuckled again. 

“If you don't mind me saying, you don't look like a florist.” Marianne yawned covering her mouth with the back of her hand. 

He shrugged. “I'm not a woman?” 

“No, you just don't look like a guy who would like flowers.” She yawned again, this time affecting Bog. “Well, flowers are ...dependable. They don't lie to you and you give them the right kind of care, they bloom for you. They are tough and fragile. Beautiful and strong.” 

Bog tilted his head gazing at Marianne. “Sorta like you, I think.” 

She giggled. It came out more cute than she meant, but then she grinned. “Are you flirting with me, Bog?” 

All the blood drained from his face. “Ah...no...just...you know, making an observation.” 

Marianne grinned. “You're pretty cute, Mr. King. Especially when you blush.” 

Bog looked confused, so to cover it up he sipped his coffee. He yawned, which caused Marianne to yawn. Bog set his coffee down on the coffee table and stretched his arms over his head. “Who thought talking to cop after cop would be so exhausting.” 

Marianne chuckled setting her coffee next to his. “Yeah. Too bad Roland didn't get his ass thrown into a cell with a guy named Nancy.” 

Bog snorted on a laugh. 

* 

They talked for a little while longer, but neither one realized when they both fell asleep. It was Dawn who found them on the couch. Bog, that had to be the guy because he looked exactly how Marianne had described him: super tall, lean and with sharp features. His legs were spread out in front of him. He had sunk into the couch a little his head tilted back in a way that was probably going to give him a crick in his neck in the morning. Marianne had fallen over, her head on his lap. 

Dawn slipped into the back where there was a closet where they kept the blankets and returned carrying a couple. She covered the two of them up with a smile. 

* 

When Bog woke the sun was streaming in through a window. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He started to sit up, but quickly realized there was a weight on his chest. He looked down to see the top of Marianne's head. She was curled against him sound asleep. At the other end of the couch away from the two of them, Primrose sat staring at him. Bog also noticed that there was a blanket over him and Marianne.. When did that happen? 

Primrose meowed at him. Bog looked at the cat. “What?” 

The cat meowed again before leaping off the arm of the couch and wandering away. 

Marianne yawned stretching her arms over her head knocking Bog in the chin and snapping his head backwards. “Ow!!!” 

“Oh shit. Bog!! I am so sorry!!” Marianne turned around so quickly she fell right off the couch. “OUCH!” 

That was about the time Dawn came rushing into the living room from her bedroom. “Oh my god guys!! I thought something was wrong? What the hell are you two doing?” 

They both stood up looking innocent. “Nothing Dawn, nothing.” Marianne grinned at her sister who looked back and forth between the two of them for a couple of seconds. Marianne and Bog shared a look, not quite sure why they were in trouble, but clearly they were before Dawn humphed. 

“You guys hungry? Marianne you should go shower. Bog you too. Can you get home and back in half-hour? We are meeting Sunny for breakfast.” 

Then she turned on her heel and walked back into the depths of her bedroom. 

Bog and Marianne watched her go and then looked at each other before they burst into laughter. 

“You don't have to go to breakfast with us if you don't want to.” Marianne looked up at Bog, but she really hoped he would say yes. 

“Breakfast sounds good.” He smiled and Marianne was so happy that he had agreed she nearly threw herself at him, but she restrained herself. “Okay, cool. See you in half-hour.” She was proud of how casual she sounded to herself. 

Bog chuckled. “Yeah, cool.” 

* 

They ended up at a family restaurant that luckily wasn't too crowded. They were escorted to a circle booths so they could all sit together comfortably with Bog at one end, Sunny at the other and the sisters in the middle. From where Bog sat, there was a little girl at the table directly across from theirs who could see him and became instantly smitten with him. She couldn't be older than two as she giggled and pointed given the dower florist a big smile. Bog grinned at her and crossed his eyes sending the little girl into a fit of giggles. Marianne watched this whole exchange with her mouth hanging open, her heart doing a weird little dance. Dawn elbowed Marianne hard enough that she yelped causing everyone to look at her. She grinned. “Sorry; bit my tongue.” 

Dawn hissed. “You better grab on with both hands and hold on tight Marianne or I swear I will lock you in a closet with him.” 

Hissing back, Marianne glared at her sister. “DAWN! Geez, he is going to hear you!” 

“Well look, you're not getting any younger and...” Marianne gave Dawn such a look that Dawn burst out laughing. The two men stared at the sisters, but that was when the waitress decided to show up. 

“So what can I get you guys to drink this morning? I can take your orders if you're ready too.” 

Orange juice and coffee were ordered along with strawberry waffles for Dawn, flat cakes for Sunny, eggs, toast and bacon for Bog and Belgian waffles for Marianne. 

Soon the four of them were eating, talking and laughing. It was a lot more fun for Bog than he would ever admit. He grew up with just his mother and father. When his father was gone, it was just him and his mom. He had never had loud family breakfasts or dinners growing up. He had always wanted a big family, thought someday he would have it for himself, but afterward...he had pretty much given up on ever having any of those things in his life. But right now, watching Marianne with her sister and Sunny, his chest ached. 

Marianne reached over noticing the clouds over Bog's eyes. “Hey—everything okay?” she asked quietly. 

“Yeah, I'm fine.” He smiled at her. 

Marianne found herself staring at his lips for a split second longer than necessary before she shook her head. “Hey, wanna try some waffle?” 

Bog chuckled. “Sure want some eggs?” 

Dawn leaned over to Sunny watching the two of them feed each other laughing a little as she whispered. “How much you want to bet by this time tomorrow they're boyfriend and girlfriend?” 

Sunny grinned shaking his head. “Oh I know not to bet against you, sunshine.” 

She giggled trying not to watch them too much, but they were laughing and looking at each other, clearly smitten. 

Dawn chewed thoughtfully. Her scheming mind would have made Bog's mother proud if she had been there. “Hey, Sunny and I were thinking about going skateboarding after breakfast,” she said innocently. “You guys wanna go with us?” 

Sunny looked up from his breakfast. “We were?” 

Marianne grinned. “Oh, hell yeah! I haven't gone skateboarding in like forever!” 

Bog leaned back to look at her. “You skateboard?” 

Marianne chuckled. “I did all the time in high school; now just once in a while. Wanna go?” 

Bog cringed. “I have never been on a skateboard.” 

Marianne's eye lit up. “I could teach you!” 

Dawn was smiling while on the inside she was going ballistic. Yes, yes, yes!! This was perfect!!! 

“Ah, I don't know. I mean you guys don't want me tagging along, I'm sure.” Bog frowned. He seemed to be shutting himself away as Dawn looked at him. It was sad really to see this man pulling himself away, but Marianne grabbed his hand. “Oh please, Bog! Come on—I don't want to be the third wheel and it will be fun. I promise.” 

Marianne prayed he would join them. She wanted to spend more time with this florist even though she would never say it out loud. Bog stared at Marianne as she held his hand up to her chest. He blinked a little dumbfounded, but nodded mutely. Marianne squeezed his fingers. “Yes! We will dig up a skateboard for you and a helmet after breakfast!” 

She further surprised him by laying his hand down on her thigh. What? 

* 

They met up again at the sister's house. Bog was nervous. He never tried skateboarding as a kid because he was so tall and gangly, he just knew that he would end up on the pavement more than on the board. He already had had a problem with being picked on for his looks and his height. He had pretty much hidden until high school, whereupon the tall, gangly kid turned into a tall, strong kid and began beating his tormentors. But he still felt like that too-skinny gangly kid sometimes and this—skateboarding—was not going to help. However, he found that he wanted to make Marianne happy and if skateboarding would do that, then he would make a fool out of himself to make her happy. 

* 

They ended up at an abandoned office site. There were some nice buildings with lots of pavement, no cars or anyone else. Bog smiled, thankful that his embarrassment would be contained to these three and not half the high school and college population of the neighborhood. He put on the knee and elbow pads Dawn handed to him, then Marianne had Bog bend forward while she put his helmet on his head strapping it under his chin. She smiled into his blue eyes and then booped his nose. “You'll be fine. I promise I will take care of you.” 

Bog blushed. “Thanks, Marianne.” 

Her cheeks flushed, staring into his eyes. The urge to kiss him was so strong that she gave in except she placed the kiss on his nose. 

Bog turned a deep shade of red, standing back from her clearing his throat. “Okay, so show me how it's done first?” 

Marianne grinned at Dawn as Sunny walked over to stand with Bog. “Best to stay out of their way when they decide to show off,” the shorter man explained. Sunny took the time to tell Bog what each of the tricks they did were called. An Ollie, a crooked grind, and a boardside. Bog blinked, looking dazed, watching the two sisters skate by each other, giving each other a high-five. 

“Damn...” Bog muttered under his breath. 

Sunny chuckled. “You should have seen them in high school!” 

The two women skated over. Dawn jumped into Sunny's arms. He grabbed her, holding her tightly against him and despite being quite a bit shorter than her, he spun her around kissing her with a great deal of enthusiasm. 

Marianne groaned. “You two get a room!” 

They both laughed at her while Marianne turned to Bog. “Okay, ready to give this a go?” 

“No.” Bog frowned. 

“Come on, you'll be fine.” She took his hand, both of them feeling a shared bolt of electricity shoot through them. They stared at each other but then both shook their heads dismissing it. “Okay, let's get you to balance first.” 

Marianne moved the board in front of him holding his hand while he stepped on. It moved back and forth which made Bog curse, his other arm whipping out trying to maintain balance. “It's okay, Bog. Just relax.” She gave him an encouraging smile. 

He nodded. “Okay, okay.” His hand gripped hers tightly, but he relaxed a little while she showed him how to balance, to get the board going and how to stop. After a few minutes when she thought he had his balance, she let go. Bog did pretty good for the first few moments, but then he hit an incline. “Bog! You need to stop!!” 

He was going faster. “I can't!!!” 

Marianne yelped. “Oh no!” 

Dawn yelled. “Marianne go get him!!” 

Bog was out of sight when Marianne took off running. “BOG!!” 

Dawn and Sunny took off too. 

Marianne saw Bog just as he crashed into a curb and went over falling flat on his face in the grass. He didn't move. “Oh no!” Marianne ran to his side and dropped to the ground next to him. He still wasn't moving. “Bog! Bog! Oh my god, answer me!!” She gently pulled his helmet off stroking his face. “Oh Bog, I am so sorry!” 

That was when Bog started to snicker. “Were you going to cry?” 

Marianne's eyes popped open wide and then she smacked him. “You''re an ass!!!” But she started to laugh. He sat up chuckling. His nose was bleeding a little and his palms were scraped, but otherwise he seemed intact. 

“Seriously, are you alright?” Marianne smiled gently taking his face in her hand and studying his nose. “Yeah, just a couple of bumps and bruises.” Bog smiled, all crooked teeth and dancing blue eyes. She stared at him and Bog stared at her in return. 

* 

Dawn and Sunny came over the rise, but Dawn grabbed Sunny's shoulder stopping him short. “Oh my god—look!” She pointed at where Bog and Marianne were staring at each other. She yanked Sunny backwards to a tree that was way too skinny to hide either of them, let alone both of them. “Kiss kiss kiss kiss...” Dawn was chanting under her breath watching her sister and Bog. Sunny looked down the hill and then grinned. 

* 

They leaned closer to each other, eyes unable to look away, their lips a breath away. Bog blinked. What was he doing??!! She wouldn't want him touching her lips! Geez! He cleared his throat, embarrassed and looked away, but Marianne was the one to grab his jaw and turn him back to face her and kiss him. 

Marianne didn't know why she did it. No, she did know why—he had nice lips, she liked him and his underwear. But she could almost see what he was thinking when he started to pull away from her and she wasn't going to have it! So she took the dive and kissed him. His eyes were wide, they were both still staring at each other when Marianne pressed her lips to his. 

* 

Up the hill their kiss was broken by the sound of a very loud “WHOOPIE!!” from Dawn.


	4. And So It Goes

That night Bog did the unthinkable. He invited Marianne to his place for dinner. Even worse, she had accepted. 

He had left them that afternoon after skateboarding, blushing like a school boy to go pick up some food stuffs for dinner and to swing by the flower shop to grab some flowers for her. Marianne had only agreed after insisting that Bog let her tend his cuts and scrapes. 

He felt giddy while he bustled around his shop picking out some flowers to have for her when she arrived. He finally decided on some midnight blue roses and forget-me-knots. He arranged them into a bouquet with white baby's breath. 

Then he rushed home to start cooking. Bog was a surprisingly good cook, having learned at his father's knee. He had decided on something simple, but guaranteed to be delicious, some salmon steaks in whiskey sauce. Of course, after he started cooking he was terrified she would hate them because he forgot to ask if she liked fish! He had been so nervous about just asking her to dinner he hadn't really thought about any details beyond the asking. Bog groaned at himself and his stupidity. He was angrily making the sauce when the doorbell rang. He stopped in the middle of what he was doing and looked up staring at the door. That couldn't be her; it was too early! 

* 

Outside, rubbing her foot against the back of her calf, Marianne fidgeted nervously. It was only after she rang the door bell did she realize that she was early, like WAY early. But she had already rung the bell...if she ran back to her car that wouldn't look suspicious, she thought to herself, her sarcasm meter on high. Just when she thought she might make it to the car without being seen, Bog opened the door. 

He was wearing an apron! An adorable, blue apron on his tall, lean frame was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Bog looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, hey come in.” 

Marianne blushed. “Sorry, I know I'm early,” she said with a slight, embarrassed shrug. 

“No, no, that's perfectly fine. Can I pour you a glass of wine?” Bog stepped aside to let her in, shutting the door nervously. 

Marianne sniffed the air with a nod. “What are you making? It smells delicious!” 

Bog blushed. “Salmon steaks in whiskey sauce?” 

She grinned. “Oh, I love salmon!” 

Bog nearly passed out in relief. 

She followed him into the kitchen where he hurried over to the stove. He pulled out some fresh rolls, the smell of which made her stomach rumble, the horribly rude noise loud enough that Bog had to hear it. 

Bog glanced over his shoulder at her with a raised brow, the hint of a smile gracing his lips as he poured two glasses of wine. Marianne blushed. “It smells great in here.” 

Bog chuckled. “Thanks. I'm not a great cook, but I have been known to throw a few things together. I mean, being a bachelor you need to learn to cook for yourself or every meal is fast food, or frozen.” 

Marianne nodded. “Yeah. I cook once in a blue moon, but Sunny actually is the one who comes over and cooks the most. He loves it.” 

Bog set the rolls down and then moved back over to the stove to check his sauce while Marianne watched him. His hair was a bit frumpled, and he needed to shave, but she thought that he looked damn sexy. She liked his tall, thin frame and his sharp features. He was worlds different than Roland, not self absorbed, not looking to be the center of attention. He was sincere with everything he said while the gruff outer shell hid a sweet and gentle heart. 

Marianne helped him set his small table. Bog brought out the bouquet for her after the plates were set. “Oh, Bog these are beautiful!” 

She buried her nose in the blossoms, inhaling deeply. Her gentle brown eyes gazed at him over the top of the flowers; there was something soft and magical in her eyes that made Bog forget to breathe. He blushed, stumbling over words. “Ah, yeah...glad you, uh, like them. Ah...they are from my shop.” 

Marianne beamed. “I would love to see your shop.” 

Bog grinned, his crooked teeth making his smile even more endearing. 

They sat down to what they both found to be a really delicious dinner, the flowers in a vase near Marianne so she could lean over and smell them. Bog smiled at the compliments she made in regards to the food. “I have dessert for us too, though I didn't make it. I stopped at Plum's Puddings—that new bakery by the railroad tracks—and picked up a strawberry shortcake.” 

“Oh, Bog that sounds perfect!” Marianne grinned. Bog smiled in returned. She had a good appetite and as silly as it seemed, he loved that! 

* 

They had moved to the couch with dessert. Bog had made some coffee and they were curled on his tiny couch eating cake and talking about their lives. The conversation was so natural, there were none of the awkward silences, just talking, laughing, being friends. Marianne found herself gazing into his blue eyes, following the laugh lines on his face when he smiled, or the crows-feet that appeared around his eyes when he laughed. 

For Bog, every little quirk, every little thing she did or said made his heart flutter. He didn't know exactly what to do with these feelings that were surfacing, but he had never in his life felt this...good around someone. 

They finished their dessert and they were just talking. Marianne laughed at something Bog said. He blushed. They stared at each other, both of them blushing when suddenly something broke; they both attacked each other at the same time. Their teeth hit and noses were scrunched. Both of them dropping back from each other with exclamations of pain. 

Marianne rubbed her mouth. “Ow!” 

Bog gingerly touched his nose “Ouch, damn.” 

They glanced at each other and started to giggle. 

“Want to try again?” Bog asked, a blush creeping along his cheeks turning them pink. 

“Sure, but slower?” Marianne grinned and Bog nodded in agreement. “Yes, slower.” 

An awkward silence fell before Marianne murmured. “Should we try again?” 

Bog flushed. “Well, I'm game if you are...” 

They both looked like high schoolers about to have their first kiss. Bog reached out, cupping the side of her face tenderly, drawing her closer. She stared into his eyes. Bog glanced down at her lips, then back to her eyes. She gave him a sweet smile of encouragement. He pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was innocent at first, just pressing their lips together, but then Marianne felt the tip of his tongue. 

She opened her mouth to him willingly accepting his tongue, her own plunging into his mouth. The sweet kiss rapidly turned passionate. 

Marianne scooted closer to him, a hand on his chest, her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt. Bog's hand moved around to the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. She made a soft little moan that sent a thrill of heat racing through him. 

The kiss started to build into something sweet and heated, but then they simply bypassed that part and went straight back to attack. 

Marianne growled, almost leaping onto Bog. Neither of them had been with anyone in ages and that sudden need lit a fire in both of them. Marianne pulled open his shirt popping buttons everywhere. Bog fell backwards on the couch, pulling her with him and trying desperately to keep up with her clawing and kissing. She was like a wild animal, which surprised him, but also thrilled him. Damn it! He wanted her so badly! 

She straddled his hips, her mouth demanding and her hips rubbing against him making his jeans impossibly tight. God, she was sexy! 

Bog's hands moved under her shirt, sliding up the smooth curve of her back until his fingers traced the strap of her bra. He stroked the clasp, but she did nothing to stop him. Hell, the way she started to suck on his neck was rather encouraging. 

With surprisingly little effort, Bog got her bra unhooked. One hand moved around to stroke over one breast while his other hand pressed on her lower back. He groaned while she sucked on his neck, her hands rubbing all over his chest and stomach. “Marianne, are you...I mean...I don't....” Damn, she was making it extremely hard to concentrate!! Words! Get the words out! 

Her mouth was moving down his stomach now and boy did it feel wonderful. Her tongue traced a damp line further to the edge of his jeans, which the wicked woman started to unbutton. 

“Marianne, we should stop!” he groaned. She had made her way back up to his chest where her teeth had just clamped down on one of his nipples. 

Oh, damn! He didn't know until now that he liked it a little rough! Or maybe he just liked whatever she decided to do with him. 

She sat up pulling her shirt and bra off. Words completely fled his brain. She was exquisite. 

Smiling, Marianne leaned down, her bare breasts grazing across his chest. “You wanted to say something, Bog?” 

He swallowed. He had to close his eyes in order to focus. “I didn't invite you over expecting anything.” 

His eyes opened to look at her intently to try to communicate his earnestness through his eyes, that he meant what he said. 

Marianne stroked her fingers down his cheek. “I know. If you don't want to, we don't have to, but I really do want you. It's not a joke, I don't feel obligated. I find you funny, handsome and damn sexy.” 

Bog blinked. “Me?” 

She giggled at his expression. “Yeah, you. I need to buy Primrose a dozen cans of the best tuna out there to thank her for stealing your underwear or else I would never have met you.” 

She blushed, brushing her fingers along his lips. “Besides, I'm really curious how those undies look on you...” She blushed, but gave him a saucy grin. 

Bog didn't know what to say, so he just picked Marianne up. She squealed giggling and kicking playfully while Bog carried her bridal style back to his bedroom where they made love all through the night. 

* 

(Sponge Bob Square pants narrator voice: Two Years Later) 

* 

Bog was watching a gardening show on TV. His wife's feet were in his lap and he was rubbing them while he watched. The hosts were discussing the building of a greenhouse. Bog had decided he wanted to put a small greenhouse out in the back in order to grow some flowers for the shop. Marianne hadn't stirred for a while; he glanced over at her. She was fast asleep, one hand resting on her swollen belly. He grinned. She looked beautiful pregnant...she looked beautiful no matter what, but she had that expectant mother glow about her right now. He sighed happily. He was so in love with her. 

Bog continued to rub her feet when he heard the sound of the pet door flap and turned around to see Primrose waltz in. The strange thing was, that after Marianne and Bog had become a couple, Primrose had stopped stealing his underwear. If he didn't know better....but he never said a word about it. Didn't want to sound insane. 

Primrose came over and sat down in front of him, the cat's blue eyes glanced over at the sleeping Marianne then back at him. Bog narrowed his eyes looking for all the world like he was trying to read the mind of the cat sitting there staring at him. 

That was when Marianne woke with a start. “Ack!” 

Bog jerked in surprise, Primrose forgotten. “Marianne? You okay?” 

She touched her stomach then winced. “Damn that was a hard one?” 

“Braxton Hicks contraction?” Bog rubbed a hand down her legs. 

“I think so.” Marianne sighed and tried to settle back down, but the contractions came again, harder. 

“Oh, Bog...I don't think this is a false alarm...” She winced as another contraction hitting her. 

Bog got up slowly, his face going pale. “Are you sure?” 

Marianne sat up clearly in pain. “Yeah. I'm sure,” she said through clenched teeth. 

“SHIT!” Bog ran into their bedroom, grabbing a suitcase that they had had packed for the last few weeks. He grabbed the cellphone and came running back. Marianne had just stood up from the couch. She saw her husband standing there with suitcase, keys and a frantic look in his blue eyes. She giggled. “I'm not going to drop the baby right now!” 

Bog dropped everything, rushing over to her. “Are you alright?” 

She laughed, nodding. “Yes, I'm fine. Let me go to the bathroom and we can go.” 

While Marianne was in the bathroom, Bog called Dawn and Sunny. They were living in the house the sisters had shared, where Primrose supposedly still lived even though the damn cat was always over at their house, especially since Marianne had learned she was pregnant. 

“Hey, Boggy!” Dawn answered. “Everything okay?” 

“It's time!” Bog hissed. 

Luckily he pulled the phone away from his ear just in time to NOT go deaf when Dawn screamed. 

He could hear her yelling. “IT'S TIME SUNNY!!” 

Bog chuckled bringing the phone back to his ear. “Can you call your dad? I'm going to call my mom.” 

“Sure thing, Boggy Woggy!” Dawn was super excited. Bog ended the call and dialed his mother. 

Bog had just gotten off the phone with his mother who almost managed to scream as high as Dawn when Marianne stepped out holding her stomach. “Okay, I'm ready!” 

* 

Six hours later Bog sat next to Marianne in the hospital bed holding a tiny baby boy. Marianne watched Bog holding their son. Bog embraced little Muir tenderly. They had decided to name him after Bog's father. Bog stroked Muir's little head with the tips of his fingers. “He's perfect, Marianne.” 

She giggled reaching out to stroke Muir's head too. 

The door opened slowly and Dawn stuck her head in. “Ready for some visitors?” 

Bog grinned and Marianne waved everyone in; Dawn, Sunny, Griselda and the sisters' father, Dagda, all came into the room crowding around the happy little family. Dawn squealed. “Oh my gosh. Look at him!! You can tell already he is going to have Boggy's nose!” 

Bog groaned handing Muir to Marianne. “My poor boy.” 

Marianne laughed. “I'm glad he has your nose!” She looked up at Bog with such a loving expression that Bog's heart skipped a beat. “I hope he has your eyes too.” 

Bog blushed. “I hope he has your spunk.” 

“Okay you three! Pictures!!” Griselda pulled up her phone and started snapping pics. 

* 

That evening after everyone had been shooed away by the nurses, Bog was lying in the hospital bed next to Marianne, Muir wrapped up snugly between them sleeping. The two of them were gazing at their son tenderly. He was sleeping contentedly, having just been breast-fed, his little stomach full. 

They both reached out at the same time to stroke Muir's cheeks. They laughed softly. Bog's eyes moved from their son to Marianne. She looked exhausted, but very happy. 

“You know who we have to thank for this don't you?” Bog murmured reaching over to brush his fingers over Marianne's cheek. 

She looked from their son to him. “Hmm?” She asked sleepily. 

“Your sister's cat.” 

They both started to laugh and desperately tried to stop so that they didn't wake little Muir.


End file.
